Houston Mayor Lee Brown and Harris County Judge Robert
Eckels made a "hard push" Tuesday for Houston's business
community to help attract the 2012 Summer Olympics to
Houston, according to John Williams of the HOUSTON
CHRONICLE. Brown and Eckels asked the Greater Houston
Partnership to pay half of the $3M needed to put together a
bid to get the U.S. nomination to host the Games. Williams
reported that "they want an answer by the end of the month,
the deadline for Houston to withdraw" its bid to the USOC
and recoup its $100,000 deposit (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 4/7).
2008: In Toronto, Mary Ormsby reported that Toronto's
chances of landing the 2008 Summer Games "may have been
given a boost ... with the collapse of Cape Town's bid."
Cape Town was considered one of Toronto's "major
competitors, along with Beijing and Buenos Aires" Cape Town
officials are said to be "concentrating on getting the World
Cup of soccer (in 2006)" (TORONTO STAR, 4/8).
NBA TIME: Four "mini-commercials advertising" Utah and
the 2002 Games will air 90 times during the 13 weeks of the
NBA playoffs. The promos, two 10-second and two 20-second
spots, were produced by Video West (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 4/7).